Loris Karius Reportedly Set to Be Dropped by Besiktas Amid Social Media Scrutiny

Besiktas will reportedly drop on-loan Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius for their UEFA Europa League fixture against Genk next Thursday amid suggestions the German cares "more about social media than football."

Karius recently drew criticism for conceding a sloppily deflected goal in Besiktas' 2-0 Europa League defeat at Malmo, and Fotomac (h/t Mirror's Mark Jones) reported manager Senol Gunes will take his player "out of the European firing line."

The 25-year-old infamously committed several mistakes in Liverpool's UEFA Champions League Final defeat to Real Madrid in May. He was then scrutinised for posting a professionally produced video of his holidays six weeks later.

Jones also included comments from former West Germany goalkeeper Uli Stein, who said:"Karius seems to think that it is more important to take photos and share on social media accounts than on the field.He needs two perfect seasons to prove himself again."

However, Emre Sarigul of Turkish-Football.com refuted claims 35-year-old Besiktas captain Tolga Zengin was poised to take the No. 1 jersey:

Turkish Football @Turkish_Futbol1

LATEST - Take rumors that Loris Karius will be dropped for Tolga Zengin with a pinch of salt. The Liverpool loanee looks likely to keep his place in the side going by what we saw from the training sessions. No indication that management is unhappy with the keeper https://t.co/jqOL0yBkDU

Real defeated Liverpool 3-1 at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine, and Karius gifted the Spaniards the lead after attempting to roll the ball too close to Karim Benzema. He then failed to stop a long-range Gareth Bale shot from flying in, though it's suggested an earlier clash with Real defender Sergio Ramos could have impaired him, per Marca.

Stein had little sympathy for the stopper in what was the biggest game of his Liverpool career, per Sarigul:

Turkish Football @Turkish_Futbol1

I don't think Uli Stein likes Loris Karius much... 😳
In response to Sergio Ramos giving the Liverpool keeper concussion, he said: 'I could only laugh about that, something I've never heard in my life. This action was even worse for me than his mistakes in the final' https://t.co/LtDzGPxFAU

Karius moved to Istanbul on a two-year loan in the same summer that Liverpool broke the then-world record for a goalkeeper to sign Alisson Becker from AS Roma.

The temporary switch was seen as a chance for a 'keeper who has shown promise to get his confidence back, and Karius himself has remarked upon the need to rebuild, per Anfield HQ:

Anfield HQ @AnfieldHQ

Karius: “I have to get my confidence back &amp; come to terms with the past. Oliver Kahn also made a big mistake in the World Cup final in 2002 and came back stronger, which is what I prefer to do rather than think about how long I will be haunted by the Champions League.” ⬇️ https://t.co/AHV2fGlvNu

Reports such as this won't help to that end. Karius has featured in seven games for Besiktas this season but has only kept one clean sheet thus far, and an active social media presence won't deflect attention from his shortcomings.